Ball feeder



Oct. 3l, 1950 L R, CREELY 2,528,341

BALL FEEDER Filed Dec. 15, 1947 Patented Oct. 31, 1950 UNITED STAK'I'IES,v PATENT lOFFICE.

ff i y '2,528,341'Y 'y l BALL FEEDER' John Robert Creely, Clayton, N.'J. Application December 15, 1947, Serial No. 791,870 v claims. (cl. 193-40lf This Vinvention relates to devices vfor cleaning bowling balls or like objects.V "'The principal object of the invention is to provide 'a ball-cleaning device which is completely automatic in operation and which func'- tions to clean articles, suchas bowling balls whenever they are supplied to the device.l

Another object of the invention is to provide a device 4of such character that bowling balls may .be fedV to it gravitationally lalong a track or runway, and the balls are automatically cleaned in succession andare f'permitted to -roll gravitationally along a track or runway leading away from the device. l y v f i A further object of the invention is to provide a ball-'cleaning device in'vhich the balls are successively subjected to a positive and vigorous cleaning action. f l l A Another object of the' invention is to provide av lcompactv andvunitary ball-cleaning device of the above-mentioned characterhaving all of the operating parts contained in a Single housing: A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the stated character'which'is simple in construction and whichmay be manufactured at W-cost. 5 v ff Cither' 'objects and L)features of the invention v'will beapparent from theffollowing detailed lde scription in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in-which Fig'. l is a yhorizontal sectional view'"takenl through the device ofthe invention along a plane abovethe' operating mechanism;A v

Fig. 2 is `a vertical sectional view-taken longitudinally through. the center of the'devic'e;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the track mountingand Fig. Llis a perspective "View of the' ballconfY trolling member, with certain portions broken away for the purpose of illustration. f- Y Referring'v more particularly tothe drawing, there is provideda casing or housingv I0 having a ball inlet opening II and a. ball outlet opening I2. A declined inlet trackf I3 extends through the inlet opening and is supported by the casing wall I4 and by a cross bar I5. A declined* outlet track I6 is similarly supported by the casing wall I1 and by a cross bar'IS'. The rails of the two tracks may be notched to fit over the supporting members as illustrated, particularly in Fig. 3 which' shows the mounting of the inlet track rails on the casing wallllt.r The rails` may be securely held in position inany suitablev man- Within the casing Ill, in fixed location between ,the tracks I3 and I6, there is provided a rotary cleaning member I9 preferably in the form of a specially shaped brush mounted on a shaft 23 which is journaled in bearings 2I and 22 carried by the transverse bar I5. The shaft 20 is driven by an electric motor 23 through a belt 24 which passes over a pulley 25 on the end of said shaft. vIn this manner the brush is driven at relatively high speed. ,l

v.The articles to be cleaned, such as the bowling balls represented at 26, are fed successively to the cleaning position and are successively discharged by means of a cyclically operated member 21. This member is yoke-shaped and vhas its ends pivotally connected to a rod 28 which `is carried by brackets 29 and 39 on a transverse support 3I secured to the inside of wall I4.` A cross` bar 32 on the yoke-like member 21 carries aroller 33 whichvengages a cycling cam 34. The cam is driven from the motor 23 through a belt 35 and a pulley 36, and through a reduction gear box 31 which gives a relatively low speed of rotation of the cam. v

At its free end, member 21 is cradlev shaped and is provided with semi-circular element. 38 of felt or the like which substantially conforms to the shape of the bowling balls'.y Element 38 serves seveeralpurposes., -It acts as a-bu'mper Stop and `retains a ball, asshown at 26d in a position to be cleaned. lIt also servescooperatively with brush I9 to clean `the ball, as vhereinafter described. f `Member 21 isjalso provided with a pair of pins 39 extendinginwardly from its sides, and said member also'carries atransverse rod 40 mounted on upwardly extending arms 4I. Member 21 carries atransverse support 42 on which is mounted anupwardly extending nger or detent 43. The

purpose of 'these various elements onmember 21 is `to control the movementof`thefbowling balls, as will be seen from the following description of the operation.

` The device is adapted to be used in conjunction with tracks leading to it and away from it, as

indicated in dot-and-dash outline at 44V and 45.

Considering the Operation, let it be assumed that a number of bowling balls have been fed to the device and have rolled onto the inlet track as ner, for example byv being fastened f with nails shown in Figs. 1 and 2. During most of a revolution of the cycling ,cam 34, the controlling lmember 21 is in the solid line positionjof Fig. 2,'"in which it retains one ball in 4cleaning position and also retains the succeeding balls against movement, the cross rod 40 serving the latter purpose. The ball in cleaning position is supported on the brush 29 by the arcuate stop element 38. The rotary action of the brush causes the ball to rotate, the rotation of the ball being relatively slow due to the frictional retardation by element 38. As the ball rotates it is thoroughly scrubbed both by the brush and by the element 38.

At a certain point in the operating cycle, the cam 34 raises member 21 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. vWhen the member is raised, the ball which has been cleaned is permitted to leave the cleaning position, and the next succeeding ball is released by rod 4i] but it encounters the pins 39 as shown in dot-anddash outline in Fig. 2. At the same time, the finger r detent 43 retains the succeeding balls against movement. When the member 21 is lowered shortly thereafter, the ball that was re leased by the rod 40 is permitted to roll to the cleaning position against the lbumper stop 38 At the same time, the rod 4l) becomes effective to retain the succeeding balls.V The described operation is cyclicallyrepeated, the balls being .From the foregoing description it will be seen that the invention provides a novel., automatic ball-cleaning device which .is simple in construction and operation. Most of the parts of the device may be of Wooden construction which minimizes the cost.

By utilizing at least one such device in a bowlingestablishment the balls may be rapidly cleaned at regular intervals, for example at the end of each day. For convenience a feed track of suitable length may be provided, and the lead-away track may lead to a bumper stop. It is a simple matter then to place the balls on the feed track and remove them from the receiving or lead-away track. v

While a particular preferred form of the invention has been illustrated and described, itwill be L apparent that theV inventionis not limited thereto but is capable of various, modifications and other specific embodiments.

I claim: l 1

l. Apparatus for feeding bowling balls or like articles to a cleaning position, comprising declined track means for conveying balls gravitationally to and from said position, a pivoted member movable between two positions to feed the balls successively to said cleaning position and to discharge the balls successively from said cleaning position, stop means on said member effective to ret-ain a ball in` said cleaning position when said member is in one of itspositions but ineffective whensaid member is in its .other position, other stop means on said member adaptedk to restrain the succeeding balls when said member is in said one position and to release a single ball when said member is moved to said other position, and power-driven means for cyclically actuating said member.

, 2. Apparatus for feeding bowling balls or like n constituting a stop means effective to retain a ball in said cleaning position when said member is in one of its positions but ineffective when said member is in its other position, other stop means on said member adapted to restrain the succeeding balls when said member is in said one position and to release a single ball when said member is moved to said other position, a cam follower on said member, and a power-driven cam engaging said follower for cyclically actuating said member.

3. Apparatus for feeding bowling balls or like articles to a cleaning position, comprising declined track means for conveying balls gravitationally to and from said position, a member pivoted for movement between two positions to control the movement of the balls, a first stop on said member effective to retain one of the balls in said cleaning position while said member is in one of its positions but ineffective when said member is in its other position, a second stop on said member effective to restrain the succeeding balls while said member is in said one position but ineffective when said member is in said other position, a third stop on said member ineffective While said member is in said one position but effective to restrain all but one of the succeeding balls when said member is in said other position, a fourth stop on said vmember ineffective when said member is in said one position but effective when said member is in said other position to restrain the released ball, and power-driven means for cyclically actuating said member.

4. Apparatus for feeding bowling balls or like articles to a cleaning position, comprising declined track means for conveying balls gravitationally to and from said position, a member pivoted at one end'for movement between two positions to control the'movement of the balls, a bumper stop at the opposite end of said member effective to retain one of the balls in said cleaning position while said member is in one of its positions but ineffective when said member is in its other position, a second stop on said member effective to restrain -the succeeding balls While said member is Yin'said oneposition-but ineffective when said member isin said other position, a third stop on said member ineffective while said member is in said one position but effective to restrain all but one of the succeeding balls when said member is in said other position, a fourth stop on said member ineffective when said member is in said one position, but effective when said member is in said other position to restrain the released ball, and power-driven means for cyclically actuating said member.

5. Apparatus for feeding bowling balls or like articles to a cleaning position, comprising declined track means for conveying balls gravitationally to and from said position, U-shaped member having its open end pivoted below said track means and being inclined upwardly in the direction of declination of said track means, the closed end of said member being above said track means and constituting a bumper stop effective to retain one of the balls in said cleaning position while said member is in one of its positions but ineffective when said member is in its other position, a second stop on said member effective to restrain the succeeding balls while said member is in said one position but ineffective when said member is in said other position, a third stop on said member ineffective while said member is in said one position but effective to restrain all but one of the succeeding balls when said member is in said other position, a fourth stop on said member ineffective when said member is in said one position but effective when said member is in said other position to restrain the released ball, and power-driven means for cyclically actuating said Baker Jan. 29, 1907 15 Number Number Name Date Crawford Mar. 12, 1918 Choinski Aug. 23, 1921 Hedenskoog May 21, 1929 Wilson Feb. 24, 1931 Hedenskoog Nov. 6, 1934 Haskins Mar. 26, 1940 Passow Dec. 31,1940 Bancroft Apr. 1, 1941 Morgan Sept. 29, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany July 21, 1922 

